12 oz. Mouse
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12 oz. Mouse is an American animated television series on the American channel Cartoon Network as part of the Adult Swim late night programming block. The show centers on the antisocial actions of an alcoholic mouse known as "Mouse Fitzgerald", "Fitz" or simply "Mouse". The show was created by Matt Maiellaro, co-creator of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and produced by Williams Street for Adult Swim.
The style of the show is that of a crude children's drawing with limited motion. The usage of firearms, drinking alcohol to excess, and indifferent homicidal acts are common activities of the anarchic lead character Mouse. During the premiere, an Adult Swim bump hinted that Matt Maiellaro had been intoxicated when he came up with the idea for the show, which is how the crude art reminiscent of "a 4-year-old on drugs" made its way into the show. Maiellaro commissioned Lexington, Kentucky semi-professional cowpunk band Nine Pound Hammer to write and perform the theme song. The crude art and strange storyline is a source of much controversy, and the series remains one of Adult Swim's most controversial programs.
The second season will begin airing September 25, 2006.
Story
According to the network, the show is about a 12 oz. mouse named Mouse Fitzgerald who is fond of beer and caught in a world of espionage and love, and unknowingly delights in odd jobs.
As the first seven episodes progressed, an ongoing storyline slowly emerged. The show employs a serial format. Mouse begins to remember that he once had a wife and a child, but they were later taken away and his memory was blanked. His flashes of memory lead him to seek answers about his past and the odd things occurring in his life. Mouse suspects many of the other characters are part of a sinister conspiracy, the nature of which has not yet been revealed. The show also contains many (intentionally) odd "subliminal messages" during key plot moments, including skulls, mustached snake beasts, and random people screaming.Characters
Production
The pilot episode for 12 oz. Mouse, "Hired", premiered on June 19 2005 and became a regular series in the Adult Swim lineup in October 2005. The initial run of six episodes ended in November 2005. An Adult Swim bump shown with the sixth installment claimed that twenty additional episodes were being produced and taunted viewers who had complained they couldn't understand the absurdist series. On December 31, 2005 the "12 oz. New Year Marathon" aired, replaying all six episodes followed by the premiere of the then unfinished seventh episode "Adventure Mouse." A second season is scheduled to air in September 2006.In early airings, the show was also known as "oz.Mo". In the title sequence, the "camera" was so close to the "12 oz. Mouse" title card that only the characters "oz. Mo" were visible. However, it was later discovered that "Ozmo" is the name of an educational cartoon produced by the BBC. To avoid a potential lawsuit, the producers changed the show's opening to display the entire "12 oz. Mouse" title card. Some theorize that this is symbolic for the show's format - having a larger storyline, but closing in on the smaller events as to obscure the larger picture.
The animation for the character Shark originates from the Sealab 2020 cartoon that was repurposed into the Sealab 2021 show on Adult Swim. The shark animation first appeared on Adult Swim on the show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, which referred to him as "Old Kentucky Shark". The shark later appeared towards the end of an Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode entitled 'Escape From Leprauchpolis.'
Scott Luallen, the voice of Roostre, is also the lead singer of Nine Pound Hammer, who performed the show's opening theme. The song played by the New Guy/Ghost is called "Princess Cruiser", performed by Tongo Hiti. 12. OZ Mouse is referred to as 12. inch Mouse in one Adult Swim commercial using stick puppets (flying shark & flying alligator) to show new show times. It is arguable if this was a mistake or a sexual joke.
Reaction and influence
The band Danger Doom (which specializes in making rap songs inspired by Adult Swim shows and is occasionally heavily marketed during Adult Swim bumps) has a song inspired by 12 oz. Mouse entitled "Korn Dogz" from their downloadable EP "Occult Hymn". The song uses audio clips from the episode "Spharktasm", with the line "Corn dogs for the pickin'" being recited by Danger Doom leader singer MF DOOM and 12 oz. Mouse's Corn Dog King in unison repeatedly.See also
References
External links
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